MLI Design Engineer

Position Summary

We are seeking an engineer to support the technical design of multilayer insulation (MLI) systems for spacecraft and other aerospace hardware.

The MLI Design Engineer works the full product lifecycle, from receipt of customer CAD and requirements through design, fit check, fabrication, final documentation, and delivery. For assigned programs, the engineer is the technical owner of the MLI design and serves as the technical point of contact for both the customer and internal manufacturing teams.

This role reports to the Design Department Manager. The engineer receives guidance and support from the Principal Thermal Engineer on complex design, analysis, and technical decisions.

This is a hands-on engineering role that combines mechanical design, documentation, analysis, customer interaction, and direct manufacturing support.

Responsibilities

The MLI Design Engineer takes customer CAD, interface information, and technical requirements and develops the overall MLI design concept. The engineer then translates that concept into a complete engineering definition that can be fabricated, inspected, and integrated.

The engineer owns the primary design documentation for assigned programs, including:

• MLI CAD models and coverage concepts
• Flat patterns and engineering drawings
• Engineering bill of materials (EBOM)
• Design data logs
• Grounding and ground-wire logs
• Material and construction definitions
• Preliminary Design Review (PDR) and Critical Design Review (CDR) slide decks

The engineer supports customer meetings as the MLI design lead, presenting design concepts, responding to questions, tracking customer requirements and interfaces, and incorporating feedback into the design.

The engineer communicates design intent to the production team, supports material and production planning, resolves questions during fabrication, and evaluates issues or discrepancies that may affect the final hardware.

Fit check is an important part of the design cycle. The engineer prepares the fit-check data logs, templates, and supporting documentation, then briefs the fit-check team on design intent, critical interfaces, and objectives before the activity. Afterward, the engineer debriefs the team, reviews the collected data, and updates the MLI design as necessary.

The engineer is responsible for MLI-related analyses and reports associated with the design. Depending on the program, these may include:

• Venting analysis
• Grounding analysis
• Optical-property definition
• Review and documentation of vacuum-bakeout and contamination-monitoring data

The engineer supports engineering tests used to characterize and verify MLI materials and processes, such as tape-pull testing and measurement of thermo-optical properties (emittance and solar absorptance). Support may include test planning, data review, interpretation of results, and incorporation of test data into material selections, design decisions, and documentation.

The engineer retains technical ownership of the MLI configuration through final documentation and delivery, and supports continuous improvement of engineering, documentation, testing, and manufacturing practices.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a closely related engineering discipline
• Experience with 3D parametric CAD software
• Ability to interpret mechanical CAD, drawings, specifications, and technical requirements
• Ability to translate customer requirements and hardware geometry into practical, manufacturable designs
• Strong technical communication and documentation skills
• Ability to work effectively with customers, manufacturing personnel, and cross-functional engineering teams

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with any of the following:

• PTC Creo (other parametric CAD platforms will be considered)
• Product lifecycle management (PLM) systems, particularly PTC Windchill
• Thermal engineering or thermal analysis
• Spacecraft thermal-control systems, MLI, aerospace materials, contamination control, vacuum systems, or related aerospace hardware
• Material or component testing, including optical-property measurement, adhesion testing, or other aerospace material characterization
• PDR, CDR, hardware fabrication, fit checks, configuration control, testing, or flight-hardware delivery

Successful Candidate

The successful candidate will think of the MLI as an engineered product, not simply a CAD model. They will be comfortable taking technical ownership of a design and following it from initial concept through fabrication and delivery, and equally comfortable working in CAD, preparing documentation, presenting at a customer design review, reviewing test or bakeout data, and partnering directly with the production team to resolve a technical issue.